Every year on major holidays there are at least a few marquee games from different sports displayed in primetime for everyone’s enjoyment. Well, for those of us who have cable. While that’s not inclusive to everyone, let‘s assume we can indulge in the finer parts of entertainment. What the hell, we can pretend right?
My friend brought up a point the other day that there should be no sports on major holidays because it takes away from what they’re truly about: family, friends, and spending quality time together. The argument starts with the idea that having sports on these special days asks everyone to sit around a TV and zone out on some nonsense games that don’t mean anything in the long run, thereby missing out on some well needed family bonding. Now, my friend is a dude and does his fair share of sports following. In fact, there aren’t many bigger Lakers fans out there (but they all think that). So what’s the deal?
Personally, I feel that sports do hold a place in everyone’s day. Most of the games you truly would want to watch are planned accordingly, maybe it’s the perfect relaxation after a long Christmas morning or before your Thanksgiving feast. The sports fans can gather and banter on about their favorite teams, while those who are uninterested can play cards or any other number of group activities. Why can’t we enjoy each other’s company with a game going on in the background? To people that care about the games or their teams, the conversation could be considered meaningful, bonding over mutual interests. I’m not disputing that the holidays are for things bigger than sports, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a part of it. Also, the schedulers love to put interesting games on holidays, so somebody must be watching.
The major point to be made here is that everyone gets to choose how they experience the holidays. Hopefully everyone gets to find what makes them happy and can let the worries of the world lay by the wayside for one day. If sports does that for you, then isn’t that good enough? Merry Christmas UED.
